The EXODUS Optimizer Generator

Summary: EXODUS Optimizer Generator compiles algebraic transformation rules into an executable optimizer for an extensible DBMS, selecting operation methods via cost functions. A self-adapting search strategy leverages past experience to avoid exhaustive search, delivering near-exhaustive plan quality with substantially reduced search time. (summarized by gpt-5-nano on Feb 09 2026)

Paper ID: ha5633644f52e190a
Venue: SIGMOD
Year: 1987
Pagerank: 0.00031381726
Overall Rank: 118 | 99.21%
DOI: 10.1145/38713.38734

Incoming Non-self Citations Over Time

Authors

1. Goetz Graefe (University of Wisconsin)
2. David J. DeWitt (University of Wisconsin)

BibTeX Citation

@inproceedings{graefe_sigmod87,
        title = {{The EXODUS Optimizer Generator}},
        author = {Graefe, Goetz and DeWitt, David J.},
        series = {{SIGMOD} '87},
        booktitle = {Proceedings of the {ACM} {SIGMOD} International Conference on Management of Data},
        publisher = {Association for Computing Machinery},
        doi = {10.1145/38713.38734},
        url = {https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/38713.38734},
        year = {1987}
}

Incoming Citations (Sorted by Pagerank)

Showing 50 of 55 citing papers.

Rank	Citing Paper	Year	Venue	Pagerank
23	Spark SQL: Relational Data Processing in Spark	2015	SIGMOD	0.00055384955
97	Of Nests and Trees: A Unified Approach to Processing Queries That Contain Nested Subqueries, Aggregates, and Quantifiers	1987	VLDB	0.00034111286
173	Optimizing Queries across Diverse Data Sources	1997	VLDB	0.00026814969
196	Grammar-like Functional Rules for Representing Query Optimization Alternatives	1988	SIGMOD	0.00025616489
272	An Overview of Query Optimization in Relational Systems	1998	PODS	0.0002251422
273	Extensible Query Processing in Starburst	1989	SIGMOD	0.00022498382
396	On Saying "Enough Already!" in SQL	1997	SIGMOD	0.00019153354
477	Dynamic Query Evaluation Plans	1989	SIGMOD	0.00017640718
499	The Design of XPRS	1988	VLDB	0.00017291748
604	Rethinking Database System Architecture: Towards a Self-tuning RISC-style Database System	2000	VLDB	0.00015664234
631	A Rule-Based View of Query Optimization	1987	SIGMOD	0.00015411265
644	Exploiting Statistics on Query Expressions for Optimization	2002	SIGMOD	0.00015209065
689	Query Optimization in the Presence of Foreign Functions	1993	VLDB	0.00014746059
698	A Data Model and Query Language for EXODUS	1988	SIGMOD	0.0001468044
725	Fundamental Techniques for Order Optimization	1996	SIGMOD	0.00014471289
952	Programming Constructs for Database System Implementation in EXODUS	1987	SIGMOD	0.00012875776
1,144	Optimization Strategies for Spatial Query Processing	1991	VLDB	0.00011837245
1,263	A Framework for Automating Physical Database Design	1991	VLDB	0.00011283218
1,403	Anatomy of a Modular Multiple Query Optimizer	1988	VLDB	0.00010765919
1,498	Advanced Query Processing in Object Bases Using Access Support Relations	1990	VLDB	0.00010467803
1,773	Rank-aware Query Optimization	2004	SIGMOD	9.6683429e-05
1,860	Optimizing Disjunctive Queries with Expensive Predicates	1994	SIGMOD	9.4862912e-05
1,890	WeTune: Automatic Discovery and Verification of Query Rewrite Rules	2022	SIGMOD	9.4234723e-05
2,037	LLM-R^2: A Large Language Model Enhanced Rule-based Rewrite System for Boosting Query Efficiency	2025	VLDB	9.1494269e-05
2,284	Join Queries with External Text Sources: Execution and Optimization Techniques	1995	SIGMOD	8.6928064e-05
2,341	Extending the Search Strategy in a Query Optimizer	1991	VLDB	8.6079269e-05
2,367	Efficient Assembly of Complex Objects	1991	SIGMOD	8.5608319e-05
2,527	Stubby: A Transformation-based Optimizer for MapReduce Workflows	2012	VLDB	8.3386546e-05
2,660	The Complexity of Transformation-Based Join Enumeration	1997	VLDB	8.1574087e-05
2,678	Gral: An Extensible Relational Database System for Geometric Applications	1989	VLDB	8.141803e-05
3,050	A Framework for Implementing Hypothetical Queries	1997	SIGMOD	7.7063277e-05
3,126	Evaluating Queries with Generalized Path Expressions	1996	SIGMOD	7.6190081e-05
3,142	Evita Raced: Metacompilation for Declarative Networks	2008	VLDB	7.595954e-05
3,211	Implementing an Interpreter for Functional Rules in a Query Optimizer	1988	VLDB	7.5331392e-05
3,722	Bypassing Joins in Disjunctive Queries	1995	VLDB	7.0684532e-05
3,850	EROC: A Toolkit for Building NEATO Query Optimizers	1996	VLDB	6.9778459e-05
4,040	Counting, Enumerating, and Sampling of Execution Plans in a Cost-Based Query Optimizer	2000	SIGMOD	6.8357679e-05
4,085	QueryBooster: Improving SQL Performance Using Middleware Services for Human-Centered Query Rewriting	2023	VLDB	6.8129946e-05
4,417	Estimating Compilation Time of a Query Optimizer	2003	SIGMOD	6.6064397e-05
4,508	Xplus: A SQL-Tuning-Aware Query Optimizer	2010	VLDB	6.5696141e-05
4,511	A Blackboard Architecture for Query Optimization in Object Bases	1993	VLDB	6.5666591e-05
4,773	Control of an Extensible Query Optimizer: A Planning-Based Approach	1993	VLDB	6.4210065e-05
6,604	Research Directions in Object-Oriented Database Systems	1990	PODS	5.736996e-05
7,929	SlabCity: Whole-Query Optimization using Program Synthesis	2023	VLDB	5.4231855e-05
7,936	Including Bloom Filters in Bottom-up Optimization	2025	SIGMOD	5.4210921e-05
8,032	NeurDB: On the Design and Implementation of an AI-powered Autonomous Database	2025	CIDR	5.4017794e-05
8,296	User-Optimizer Communication using Abstract Plans in Sybase ASE	2001	VLDB	5.3589207e-05
8,576	The Fittest Survives: An Adaptive Approach to Query Optimization	1995	VLDB	5.3109021e-05
9,331	Second-Order Signature: A Tool for Specifying Data Models, Query Processing, and Optimization	1993	SIGMOD	5.1918127e-05
9,979	A Plan-Operator Concept for Client-Based Knowledge Processing	1993	VLDB	5.1014161e-05

Outgoing Citations (Sorted by Pagerank)

Showing 13 of 13 cited papers.

Citations counted here include only citations to other VLDB/SIGMOD/CIDR/PODS papers in this database.

Rank	Cited Paper	Year	Venue	Pagerank
1	Access Path Selection in a Relational Database Management System	1979	SIGMOD	0.0023943337
16	The Functional Data Model and the Data Language DAPLEX	1979	SIGMOD	0.00059968627
34	The Design Of Postgres	1986	SIGMOD	0.00049129967
54	GAMMA - A High Performance Dataflow Database Machine	1986	VLDB	0.00040482761
96	The Database Language GEM	1983	SIGMOD	0.00034271712
150	Making Smalltalk a Database System	1984	SIGMOD	0.00028917874
291	Object and File Management in the EXODUS Extensible Database System	1986	VLDB	0.00021940923
535	Optimizing the Performance of a Relational Algebra Database Interface	1975	SIGMOD	0.00016782455
631	A Rule-Based View of Query Optimization	1987	SIGMOD	0.00015411265
636	LDL: A Logic-Based Data-Language	1986	VLDB	0.00015361511
764	Access Paths in the "Abe" Statistical Query Facility	1982	SIGMOD	0.00014120837
952	Programming Constructs for Database System Implementation in EXODUS	1987	SIGMOD	0.00012875776
4,654	Translating Aggregate Queries into Iterative Programs	1986	VLDB	6.4820969e-05

Semantically Similar Papers

#	Overall Rank	Paper	Year	Venue
1	143	Optimization of Nonrecursive Queries	1986	VLDB
2	2,341	Extending the Search Strategy in a Query Optimizer	1991	VLDB
3	644	Exploiting Statistics on Query Expressions for Optimization	2002	SIGMOD
4	5,200	Exact Cardinality Query Optimization with Bounded Execution Cost	2019	SIGMOD
5	3,211	Implementing an Interpreter for Functional Rules in a Query Optimizer	1988	VLDB
6	2,552	An Architecture For Query Optimization	1982	SIGMOD
7	272	An Overview of Query Optimization in Relational Systems	1998	PODS
8	631	A Rule-Based View of Query Optimization	1987	SIGMOD
9	1,376	Experiences Building the Open OODB Query Optimizer	1993	SIGMOD
10	477	Dynamic Query Evaluation Plans	1989	SIGMOD